The eight-team ICC Women’s World Twenty20 Qualifier assumes great significance not only because two teams will qualify ICC Women’s World Twenty20 in the West Indies from 9 to 24 November but also because all matches will be classified as T20 Internationals after a recent ICC announcement to that effect.
The third edition of the tournament will feature Bangladesh and Ireland, who are ranked ninth and 10th respectively, in the MRF Tyres ICC Women’s Team Rankings, as well as from Thailand, the Netherlands, Papua New Guinea (PNG), Scotland, Uganda and the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
The league-cum-knockout tournament will be played at the Kampong Cricket Club in Utrecht and the VRA Cricket Ground in Amstelveen, with defending champions Ireland taking on Thailand in their first match on 7 July and Scotland and Uganda featuring in the other Group A match on the opening day. Last time’s runners-up Bangladesh will play PNG and the Netherlands will take on the UAE in other matches on the opening day.
The semifinals (12 July) will be played at the VRA Cricket Ground while the final will be at the Kampong Cricket Club. The complete schedule is available here.
ICC Women’s Cricket Manager Holly Colvin: ‘The exciting nature of T20Is and the competitive qualification format will give participating teams the experience of performing under pressure. New conditions and different oppositions provide great exposure for participating teams, and with the ICC Women’s World Twenty20 not far away, the finalists can carry momentum with them.’
Players from the competing teams exuded enthusiasm, hoping to join the top eight sides – Australia, England, India, New Zealand, Pakistan, South Africa, Sri Lanka and the Windies – in the November event.
Bangladesh captain Rumana Ahmed: “This is a great opportunity for us to display what we are capable of doing and also qualify for the ICC Women’s World Twenty20 in the process.
‘In this tournament, we will get a chance to play a number of teams and also get exposure to different conditions. We are confident we will gel together as a team and come up with some memorable performances.’
“In this tournament, we will get a chance to play a number of teams and also get exposure to different conditions. We are confident we will gel together as a team and come up with some memorable performances.” – Bangladesh captain Rumana Ahmed
Ireland captain Laura Delany: ‘2018 is a big year for the Ireland women’s cricket team. After our tour of Zimbabwe in February, we are hosting New Zealand and Bangladesh at home before heading to the Netherlands for the WWT20Qs.
‘Our head coach Aaron Hamilton is putting together a competitive squad that blends experience with some fresh faces who are set to make an impression on world cricket. I believe that over these next few months our team will demonstrate that we have a bright future and we will step up to the challenges ahead.
‘There are no easy games at this level of international cricket, but we are confident that if we play to our collective abilities then we will put ourselves in an excellent position to go through to the main tournament in the Caribbean in November.’
Netherlands captain Heather Siegers: ‘Playing in a World Qualifying tournament at home is a wonderful honour and privilege, to be able to host players from all around the world is a great chance for us here in the Netherlands to showcase the best we have to offer.
‘We have a young but very talented squad and they are all really looking forward to playing at home against some wonderful sides. Being able to captain the side against these teams will make me very proud and hopefully, we will be able to put in a string of good performances and thus go onto the next stage.’
PNG player Ravini Oa: ‘It is a chance for all of us to come together and produce some performances which we will cherish for a long time. We know we are up against some very good teams but hope to be able to do our best.
‘As a senior player, I’m looking forward to going at my best in July. We’ve been training hard over the last few months and we are trying to hit our peak as we enter the Qualifiers. We are building strong foundations together as a team and we can’t wait for the tournament to begin in the Netherlands.’
Scotland captain Kathryn Bryce: ‘We’re really looking forward to challenging ourselves in the T20 format with our clear goal of qualification. Having seen the men’s team come so close in the ICC Cricket World Cup Qualifier and the excitement it generated around the country, we’ll be looking to replicate their performances to keep Scottish cricket firmly on the map. We know if we play to our abilities and take our chances, we’ve got every chance of qualification.’
Thailand captain Sornnarin Tippoch: ‘We have been preparing well for this special tournament with a squad which is a mix of youth and experience. We are going to take it game by game and perform to the best of our abilities. The team’s spirit is high, especially after winning Gold in the South East Asian Games.
‘We are playing against some strong teams in the Women’s Asia Cup in Malaysia so we will be ready to play our best cricket in the Netherlands. This is our third time in the World T20 Qualifiers and we want to make history for Thailand cricket by reaching the World T20 in the West Indies.’
Uganda captain Kevin Awino: ‘We are very excited playing at this level as it only reflects the hard work we have put in recent months as a team. It’s work in progress but we believe this just reflects the improvement in our cricket.
‘We know it’s a different level with good sides, considering it’s our first time being at this level but we ought to give ourselves the opportunity to challenge ourselves as players. This will help us provide a suitable level of competition to our opponents.
‘We look ahead to enjoy every little bit of the tournament but not forgetting that we are here representing not only Uganda but the whole of Africa at this tournament.
UAE captain Humeira Tasneem: “This is one of the most significant tournaments in the calendar and it is an amazing feeling to be a part of it. We have worked extremely hard to get here and we want to make sure that we play to our potential.
‘We want to earn the right to play in the World Cup and we will fight hard. We will play each match to win and I know if we play as a team and go according to our plans, we have a very good chance. It’s going to be an exhilarating tournament for all of us.’
Women’s Global Development Squad
Meanwhile, three Bangladesh players including captain and wrist-spinning all-rounder Rumana Ahmed have been named in the 13-member Women’s Global Development Squad, which will play five matches against ECB Super League teams from 15-21 July as part of their warm-up fixtures.
The squad, which also includes two players each from Ireland, the Netherlands, PNG and Uganda and one each from Scotland and the UAE, was selected from a pool following three nominations each from teams participating in the Qualifier.
The initiative, a partnership between the ICC and the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB), aims at providing exposure to teams outside the top-eight ranked sides who feature in the ICC Women’s Championship and make World Twenty20Is more competitive in the coming years.
Clare Connor, Director England Women’s Cricket and Chair of ICC Women’s Committee: ‘Since the launch of our competition in 2016, we have been considering how we might use it as a platform to provide other playing opportunities for players around the world.
‘We’re hopeful that a Global Development Team – playing five games against some of our Super League teams immediately after the ICC World T20 Qualifiers – can offer those players representing the Associate Members those opportunities. We are looking forward to welcoming a diverse playing squad, representing countries as far-reaching as Uganda, Papua New Guinea and Bangladesh, as well as several of our European neighbours.’
The fixtures:
Tuesday, July 17, 2018
1030 | Surrey Stars, New Malden, Surrey
1500 | Surrey Stars, New Malden, Surrey
Thursday, July 19, 2018
1030 | Loughborough Lightning, Haslegrave, Loughborough
1430 | Loughborough Lightning, Haslegrave, Loughborough
Friday, July 20, 2018
1430 | Western Storm, Bath CC
The Women’s Global Development Squad
Jahanara Alam, Khadiza-Tul Kubra, Rumana Ahmed (all Bangladesh); Gaby Lewis, Lucy O’Reilly (both Ireland); Sterre Kalis and Heather Siegers (both Netherlands); Kaia Arua and Ravini Oa (both PNG); Gertrude Candiru and Immaculate Nakisuyi (both Uganda); Sarah Bryce (Scotland); Esha Oza (UAE). Head coach: Sean Trouw; Mentor Coach: Mark Lane
Photo by: Faheem Hussain /SPORTZPICS for BCCI
